The Irish standard., 1887-09-03
PARIS sHoPL,FTERs.

PARIS sHoPLlFTERs.
Tho Round Sums Some Of Them Pay foa
the Privilege Of Stealing.
The establishment in Paris of the
gigantic bazars known as the Bon
Marche, the Louvre. the Pygmalion,
the Printemps, and the like, has given
rise to a new form. of crime in the
shape of continual petty thefts. often
committed by persons whose state OF
fortune and social position not only
elevate them above want, but above
suspicion. On the great opening days
especially, when every department is
crowded with customers and every
counter is loaded with tempting arti-
cles. the apparent ease and immunity
with which a theft can be effected.
Joined to the attractiveness of the
goods, are sure to lure numbers OF
women (for these thefts are rarely
committed by men) into surreptitious-
ly appropriating various articles. The
average of these cases of theft is one
hundred and fifty day. The criminal
is never arrested in the act;
that would create confusion and
cause a scandal. A detective in
plain clothes follows her to the door,
and when she is about to quit the shop
requests her politely to step with him
into back room. There she is
searched, and the stolen articles are
taken from her. If it is first offense,
she is dismissed with a reprimand.
When detected in second theft the
offender is conducted before the ad.
ministrative council of the house, he1
name and address are demanded, and
her abode is searched through the me-
dunn of a permit, which she is re.
quired to give. Usually large guam
tity of merchandise. for whose pres
ence she is unable to account, is found
in her rooms. The unused articles
are taken away, and she is obliged tc
furnish written promise of payment
to the shop. She is besides compelled
to pay fine, varying according to he1
means and her social position, from 81
to $4,000, for the benefit of the poor Of
the quarter. There are, in fact,
certain privileged quarters in
Paris where there are no poor
people, SO amply are the needs of the
INDECENT provided for from this source.
Should the thief prove contumacious,
and refuse to give her name and ad'
dress. she is handed over to the police,
and is prosecuted in ordinary fashion.
Among these shop thieves are mum.
bered ladies of the highest rank, the
wives of foreign Ambassadors. etc.
Some of these women are undoubtedly
the victimes of kleptomania. One OF
them, an immensely rich old Countess,
10 so we'll known that whenever she
enters one of the great shops all the
'.wAtchers" are on the alert. They
are sure to catch her sooner OF later in
the act of helping herself to some
trifing object, such as pair of gloves,
8 box of writing paper, pocket-book,
or bow of ribbon. She is then po-
itely requested to go before the ad-
ministrative council, and for each Of
tense is fined 800, which she pays
down at once without protest OF
without murmur. Among the
poorer thieves the most frequent Of
tenders are governesses out of work.
and their thefts are almost invariably
Of gloves. It is almost indispensable
for them to appear we'll gloved when
they go in search of situation. They
can not afford the expense, and so they
yield to temptation. The excuse OF
actual want is very rare. Very seldom
are useful garments stolen, even fol
children. Ribbons, gloves, knicknacks,
fans, ornaments, etc., are the objects
that are usually taken.
At the approach of the holiday sea-
son thieves fairly swarm IN the large
stores. In single one there were los
arrested last Christmas Eve. Not one
of the throng was prosecuted. There
was only one workwoman in the whole
lot, and she had stolen toy for her
little child. In fact, the women of the
working class are generally too busy
to 60 shopping in this nefarious man.
ner. After the society women and
the governesses, the most constant
offenders are servants out of place
that is to say, outside of the line Of
professional thieves. Cor. P&iIa2cl-
p1sta TeleQraDh.
NOTES FROM ABROAD.
At the University Of London recently,
twenty-five ladies were presented for the
4. B. degree ten of them with honor, and